January 9, 1941 first flight of British aircraft Avro Lancaster- one of the most productive bombers of the Second World War. Read more about iconic bomber models in our review.
Arado Ar 234 Blitz (Germany)
The world's first jet bomber, the Arado Ar 234 Blitz, has been in service with the Luftwaffe since 1944. It was equipped with two 20 mm MG 151 cannons and a bomb load of up to 1500 kg. The maximum speed of the aircraft was 742 km / h at an altitude of up to 6000 m. Initially, the car was used for reconnaissance purposes, and later began to deliver air strikes against the forces of the anti-Hitler coalition.
Avro 683 Lancaster (UK)
The heavy four-engine bomber Avro Lancaster, the main bomber of the RAF, first flew on January 9, 1941. More than 156,000 sorties were flown on Lancasters and more than 600,000 tons of bombs were dropped. It was equipped with four motors with a capacity of 1280 hp each. Maximum payload machine was 10 tons.
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (USA)
The legendary B-17 "Flying Fortress" entered service with the US Air Force in 1938. During the war years, the aircraft proved to be incredibly reliable (there were cases when it returned to base with one working engine and almost completely destroyed skin) and an accurate bomber. It was equipped with nine 12.7 mm machine guns and could carry up to eight tons of bombs. The aircraft was equipped with four engines of 1200 horsepower each.
Pe-2 (USSR)
The most massive bomber Soviet Union The Pe-2 made its first flight on December 22, 1939. The aircraft was equipped with two 1100-horsepower engines and was capable of accelerating to 542 km/h. 4 machine guns and up to 1 ton of bomb load were installed on it. From 1940 to 1945, about 12 thousand cars were produced.
Piaggio P.108 (Italy)
The Piaggio P.108 heavy bomber was developed in late 1939. Four modifications of the model were assembled at Piaggio: the P.108A anti-ship aircraft, the P.108B bomber (the most common), the P.108C passenger liner and the P.108T. Piaggio was one of the most powerful aircraft of World War II - it was equipped with four 1500-horsepower engines. Five 12.7 mm and two 7.7 mm machine guns were mounted on it. The vehicle could carry up to 3.5 tons of bombs.
PZL.37 Łoś (Poland)
The development of the PZL.37 Los bomber started in the early 1930s. A total of 7 prototypes were built, the most successful of which was the P.37/III. It was this model that was supplied to Spain, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Romania and Greece. It was equipped with two 1050-horsepower engines and was able to carry up to 1760 kg of bomb load.
Farman F.220 (France)
The Farman F.220 heavy bomber entered service with the French Air Force in 1936. The aircraft was equipped with four 950 hp engines. With. each. He was armed with three 7.5 mm machine guns and 4 tons of bomb cargo. Despite the fact that only 70 cars were created, they played a big role during the French campaign of 1940.
Mitsubishi Ki-21 (Japan)
The Ki-21 medium bomber was adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1937. Two 1500-horsepower Mitsubishi engines were installed on the aircraft. He was able to reach speeds of up to 490 km / h. The vehicle was armed with five machine guns and 1,000 kg of bombs.
Interesting models of "peaceful" aircraft can be found in our review.
In 1912-1913, Sikorsky worked on the project of the Grand multi-engine aircraft, which became known as the Russian Knight. Already at that time I understood that the weight and thrust of the engines are the fundamental parameters of the aircraft.
It was rather difficult to prove this theoretically, at that time the basics of aerodynamics were learned practically by experience. Any theoretical solution required an experiment. That is how, by trial and error, the Ilya Muromets aircraft was created.
The history of the creation of the first bomber
Despite all the difficulties, in 1913 the Grand took off, moreover, with its record-breaking performance, the aircraft received universal recognition and honor. But, alas ... only as a big and complex toy. September 11, 1913 "Russian Knight" was injured in the accident of the Gaber-Vlynsky aircraft.
The case was rather curious. In flight, the engine fell off at the Meller-II airplane, it fell on the wing box of the Vityaz and completely rendered it unusable. The pilot himself survived.
The frivolity of the accident was aggravated by the fact that the developer of the crashed aircraft, Gaber-Vlynsky, was a competitor of I.I. Sikorsky. It seems like a sabotage, but no - a simple coincidence.
But the War Ministry was already interested in the flights of the Grand. In the same 1913, Russo-Balta began building aircraft in the image and likeness of the Grand Russian Knight, but with some improvements proposed by both Sikorsky and his curators from the army.
In December 1913, the C-22 "Ilya Muromets" serial number 107 was released from the factory's workshops.
After a test cycle in 1914, a contract was signed for the supply of another 10 machines of this type for army aeronautical companies.
In addition, the fleet also became interested in the car, for the Russian imperial fleet one car was produced on a float chassis, it was equipped with more powerful engines"Salmson" in 200 hp, against "Argus" 100-140 hp on land vehicles.
Subsequently, the machines were repeatedly modernized, new types and series were introduced. In total, about a hundred cars of various types were produced. Including several bombers "Ilya Muromets" type E, after the revolution, from previously prepared parts.
Design
The Sikorsky "Ilya Muromets" was a six-post biplane with a fuselage brace. Frame made of wooden spars and stringers.
Birch plywood 3 mm thick was used for sheathing in the bow part, canvas in the tail part. The cabin had developed glazing, some of the doors and windows were movable.
The wings are two-spar, classical design. The span of the upper wing, depending on the modification, was 25-35 meters, the lower wing 17-27.
Spars of box type, made of wood. 5 mm plywood ribs, regular and reinforced (double with shelf) type. The step of the neurura was 0.3 m.
The surface of the wing was covered with canvas.
Ailerons only on the upper wing, skeletal structure, covered with canvas.
The racks were located in the area where the engines were located, they had a teardrop shape in cross section. Braces made of braided steel wire.
The wingspan was divided into 5-7 parts:
- Center section;
- Detachable half-wings, one or two per plane;
- Consoles.
Connector nodes made of steel, with a welded connection, less often with rivets and bolts.
The engines were mounted on the lower wing between the racks, on the scaffolding of vertical trusses, with a belt-loop mount. Fairings and engine nacelles were not provided.
Plumage and engines
The plumage is developed, bearing type. There were two stabilizers and rotary elevators. Three rudders were used for horizontal maneuvering.
Structurally, the stabilizer and keel repeated the wing, two box-shaped spars and a transverse set, with a close-fitting canvas.
The rudders and depth skeletal structure covered with fabric. Management through a system of rods, cables and rocking chairs.
On the very first aircraft, Argus piston engines with a power of 100 hp were installed, later Argus with a power of 125-140 hp were used.
Subsequently, "Salmsons" 135-200 hp were used. and other types of engines:
- "Ilya Muromets" type B, Kyiv - "Argus" and "Salmson";
- "Ilya Muromets" type B, lightweight - "Sunbeam", 150 hp, although there were also early engines;
- "Ilya Muromets" type G, with a wide wing - there were all types of engines, like domestic production, and purchased abroad, the average power is 150-160 hp;
- "Ilya Muromets" type D, tandem installation "Sanbinov" in 150 hp;
- "Ilya Muromets" type E, Renault engines of 220 hp
The gas tanks of the external installation were suspended under the upper wing, above the engine. Less often on the fuselage, there were no internal tanks. Fuel was supplied by gravity.
Armament
The first Muromets were armed with a 37 mm Hotchkiss cannon, which was mounted on a gun and machine gun platform. But due to the extremely low efficiency of this weapon, it was decided to abandon the cannon.
And since 1914, the armament of the aircraft has become completely machine-gun. Although experiments were repeatedly made with the armament of "Ilya" with more powerful weapons, there was an attempt to install even a recoilless gun.
It was a 3-inch gun with a knock-out wad, but due to the low speed of the projectile and a spread of 250-300 meters, it was considered ineffective and was not accepted into service.
Depending on the production period, the bomber had from 5 to 8 firing points with Vickers, Lewis, Madsen or Maxim machine guns, almost all machine guns had a swivel mount and manual control.
In its first air battle, the Ilya was armed with only one Madsen machine gun and a Mosin carbine.
As a result, after Madsen's submachine gun jammed, the crew was left with one carbine and the enemy's airplane shot him with almost impunity.
The experience of this battle was taken into account, subsequently "Ilya Muromets" was equipped with a rich arsenal of small arms. And he could not only stand up for himself, but also bring down a couple of enemy aircraft.
Bomb armament was located in the fuselage. For the first time, suspension devices appeared on the "Muromets" series B, already in 1914. Electric bomb releasers appeared on the S-22 as early as 1916.
Hanging devices were calculated on bombs with a caliber of up to 50 kg. In addition to the fuselage suspension, the Muromets of the later series had external suspension units, on which a 25-pound bomb (400 kg) could also be mounted.
At that time, it was truly a weapon of mass destruction, not a single country in the world could boast of such a caliber of air bombs.
It should be noted that in addition to full-fledged bombs in the usual sense, aircraft were also used to drop flashettes - metal darts to defeat infantry and cavalry units on the march.
Their use is reflected in the domestic film "The Fall of the Empire", where they were used by a German airplane.
The total load was about 500 kg. At the same time, in 1917, attempts were made to create a full-fledged torpedo bomber from Ilya Muromets, for this a marine torpedo tube was installed on it, unfortunately, the tests were delayed, and the aircraft never passed the full test cycle.
Modifications
The following modifications of the aircraft are known, they differed in the design of the wing, fuselage and engines. But general principle remained the same.
- "Ilya Muromets" type B, Kyiv - motors "Argus" and "Salmson", armament of one to three machine guns, 37 mm cannon, which was subsequently removed. Bombs are placed inside the fuselage on a mechanical suspension;
- "Ilya Muromets" type B, lightweight - "Sunbeam", 150 hp, although there were also early engines, a narrower wing was used, the car was as light as possible, bombs on the fuselage suspension, 5-6 Maxim or Vickers machine guns were used for armament, the series amounted to about 300 cars;
- "Ilya Muromets" type G, with a wide wing, the fuselage was changed, beam bomb racks were introduced, defensive armament was strengthened, it was equipped with all types of engines, both domestically produced and purchased abroad, with an average power of 150-160 hp;
- "Ilya Muromets" type D, tandem installation "Sanbinov" in 150 hp These aircraft did not take part in hostilities. It was planned to use them for the Arctic expedition in the early 20s. Three units released;
- "Ilya Muromets" type E, Renault engines of 220 hp The last model of the aircraft, about 10 pieces were produced, with the main part after the revolution from the backlog of parts. It was distinguished by excellent defensive armament with a greater flight range and carrying capacity.
Separately, it is worth noting the "Ilya Muromets" for the Maritime Department, equipped with 200 strong engines and a float landing gear, the aircraft was tested, but practically did not take part in hostilities.
Combat use
The first flight for the Ilya Muromets bomber was not entirely successful. On February 15, 1915, the "Muromets" type B, serial No. 150 made its first flight, but the cap of clouds that fell that day prevented the task from being completed and the crew was forced to return to the base airfield.
But already on 15, the plane completed its second sortie, it was necessary to find and destroy the crossing on the Vistula River, near the city of Plock. But the crew could not find the crossing and therefore simply bombed the enemy positions. From that moment on, you can consider the career of a bomber.
On July 5 of the same year, the aircraft conducted its first dogfight with enemy fighters. As a result, Muromets was damaged and made an emergency landing. But he also showed his resilience. The plane reached the landing site on 2 out of 4 engines.
March 19, 1916, "Ilya Muromets" again entered into an air battle, this time luck was on the side of the Russian crew. One of the attacking Fokkers was shot down by machine-gun fire, and Hauptmann von Mackensen, the son of General von Mackensen, commander of the 9th Army, was killed.
And there were dozens of such battles, the parties suffered losses, but, nevertheless, the Russian plane invariably fell short of its own.
Its highest survivability and powerful armament gave the crew a chance to both survive and win.
The squadron of airships fought actively and heroically until October 1917, but the discord in society and the state also affected this elite and combat-ready unit.
The lower ranks gradually dissolved, the repair of the damaged ones stopped, serviceable aircraft went out of order. And the rallies and confusion continued.
At the beginning of 1919, the squadron of warships practically no longer existed, the planes rotted, the wooden parts were damp, the canvas was torn. Engines and mechanics fell into disrepair.
The remaining single aircraft participated in the battles on the Southern Front as part of the AGON - Special Purpose Air Group.
In general, the history of the Russian Air Force in the battles of the Civil War is a topic for a separate study, however, it is worth noting that aircraft, both from the side of the Red Army and from the side of the White movement, distinguished themselves more than once in battles, flying in difficult meteorological conditions and participating in battles on worn and unreliable machines.
civil service
After the victory in the Civil War, it turned out that the existing fleet, including Sikorsky's aircraft, was extremely worn out, and practically could not perform its functions.
For this reason, the Ilya Muromets aircraft were transferred to civil aviation. In the spring of 1921, the first regular Moscow-Kharkov passenger line was opened, 6 former bombers were assigned to serve it, divided into two detachments, one detachment served the line to Orel, which was a transfer point.
Aircraft made 2-3 flights a week, worn-out engines and airframes no longer allowed. But already in the middle of 1922, the detachment was disbanded, and the planes were dismantled.
To date, not a single Ilya Muromets aircraft has survived. The construction of wood and canvas does not tolerate the passage of time.
For Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky, this aircraft was the first step in a career that continued not in our country and not in this direction, but, nevertheless, it was the first, confident and broad step forward.
Subsequently, during a business trip to France, examining the drawings and the results of blowing in the wind tunnel of the IK-5 Ikarus aircraft, Sikorsky probably also recalled his favorite, the wide-winged Ilya.
"Ilya Muromets" is forever imprinted in the memory of the people, and in the history of aviation. The first bomber, the first serial multi-engine aircraft.
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the first world war it is difficult to call it successful for Russia - huge losses, retreats and deafening defeats pursued the country throughout the entire conflict. As a result, the Russian state could not withstand the military tension, a revolution began that destroyed the empire and led to the death of millions. However, even in this bloody and controversial era, there are achievements that any citizen of modern Russia can be proud of. The creation of the first serial multi-engine bomber in the world is clearly one of them.
More than a hundred years ago, on December 23, 1914, the last Russian emperor, Nicholas II, approved the decision to create a squadron (squadron) consisting of heavy multi-engine Ilya Muromets aircraft. This date can be called the birthday of domestic long-range aviation and the most important milestone in the global aircraft industry. The creator of the first Russian multi-engine aircraft was the brilliant designer Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky.
"Ilya Muromets" is the common name for several modifications of multi-engine aircraft, mass-produced at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works in St. Petersburg from 1913 to 1917. During this period, more than eighty aircraft were manufactured, many records were set on them: in terms of flight altitude, carrying capacity, time spent in the air and the number of passengers carried. After the start great war"Ilya Muromets" retrained as a bomber. The technical solution first used on the Ilya Muromets determined the development of bomber aviation for many decades to come.
After the end of the Civil War, Sikorsky's aircraft were used as passenger aircraft for some time. The designer himself did not accept the new government and emigrated to the United States.
The history of the creation of the aircraft "Ilya Muromets"
Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was born in 1882 in Kyiv into the family of a professor at Kyiv University. The future designer was educated at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, where he joined the Aeronautical Section, which united enthusiasts of the still nascent aviation. The section included both students and teachers of the university.
In 1910, Sikorsky lifted into the air the first single-engine S-2 of his own design. In 1912, he received a position as a designer at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works in St. Petersburg, one of the leading machine-building enterprises. Russian Empire. In the same year, Sikorsky began to create the first multi-engine experimental aircraft S-21 "Russian Knight", which took off in May 1913.
The success of the designer did not go unnoticed: an unprecedented one was demonstrated to Emperor Nicholas II, the State Duma gave the inventor 75 thousand rubles, and the military awarded Sikorsky with an order. But, most importantly, the military ordered ten new aircraft, planning to use them as reconnaissance and bombers.
The first "Russian Knight" was lost as a result of an absurd accident: an engine fell off it, falling off an airplane flying in the sky. Moreover, the latter managed to land safely without an engine. Such were the realities of aeronautics in those days.
"Vityaz" decided not to restore. Sikorsky wanted to start creating a new air giant, the name of which was given in honor of the epic Russian hero - "Ilya Muromets". The new aircraft was ready in the autumn of 1913, and its dimensions and its appearance and the dimensions really amazed contemporaries.
The length of the Ilya Muromets hull reached 19 meters, the wingspan was 30, their area (on different modifications of the aircraft) was from 125 to 200 square meters. meters. The weight of an empty airplane was 3 tons, it could stay in the air for up to 10 hours. The plane developed a speed of 100-130 km / h, which was quite good for that time. Initially, the Ilya Muromets was created as a passenger aircraft, in its cabin there was light, heating and even a bathroom with a toilet - unheard of things for aviation of that era.
In the winter of 1913, tests began, "Ilya Muromets" for the first time in history was able to lift 16 people and the airfield dog Shkalik into the air. The weight of the passengers was 1290 kg. To convince the military of the reliability of the new machine, Sikorsky flew from St. Petersburg to Kyiv and back.
In the first days of the war, ten squadrons were formed with the participation of heavy bombers. Each such detachment consisted of one bomber and several light aircraft, the squadrons were directly subordinate to the headquarters of the armies and fronts. By the beginning of the war, four aircraft were ready.
However, it soon became clear that such use of airplanes is inefficient. At the end of 1914, it was decided to unite all Ilya Muromets aircraft into one squadron, which would be directly subordinate to the Headquarters. In fact, the world's first formation of heavy bombers was created. Shidlovsky, the owner of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works, became his immediate supervisor.
The first sortie took place in February 1915. During the war, two new aircraft modifications were made.
The idea to attack the enemy from the air appeared immediately after the appearance of balloons. Aircraft for this purpose were first used during the Balkan conflict of 1912-1913. However, the effectiveness of air strikes was extremely low, the pilots manually threw ordinary grenades at the enemy, aiming "by eye". Most of the military was skeptical about the idea of using airplanes.
"Ilya Muromets" brought bombing to a completely different level. Bombs were hung both outside the aircraft and inside its fuselage. In 1916, electric droppers were used for the first time for bombing. A pilot piloting an airplane no longer needed to search for targets on the ground and drop bombs: the crew combat aircraft consisted of four or seven people (on different modifications). However, the most important was a significant increase in the bomb load. "Ilya Muromets" could use bombs weighing 80 and 240 kg, and in 1915 an experimental 410-kilogram bomb was dropped. The destructive effect of these ammunition cannot be compared with grenades or small bombs, which were armed with most vehicles of that time.
"Ilya Muromets" had a closed fuselage, which housed the crew and quite impressive defensive weapons. On the first machines to fight the "zeppelins" a rapid-fire 37-mm cannon was installed, then it was replaced with machine guns (up to 8 pieces).
During the war, "Ilya Murometsy" made more than 400 sorties and dropped 60 tons of bombs on the heads of enemies, up to 12 enemy fighters were destroyed in air battles. In addition to bombing, airplanes were also actively used for reconnaissance. Enemy fighters shot down one "Ilya Muromets", two more aircraft were destroyed by anti-aircraft artillery fire. At the same time, one of the airplanes was able to reach the airfield, but could not be restored due to severe damage.
Much more dangerous than enemy fighters and anti-aircraft guns for pilots were technical problems, because of them more than two dozen airplanes were lost.
In 1917, the Russian Empire was rapidly falling into the Time of Troubles. There was no time for bombers. Most of the air squadron was destroyed by its own because of the threat of capture by German troops. Shidlovsky, along with his son, was shot by the Red Guards in 1918 while trying to cross the Finnish border. Sikorsky emigrated to the United States and became one of the most famous aircraft designers of the 20th century.
Description of the aircraft "Ilya Muromets"
"Ilya Muromets" is a biplane with two-spar wings and six struts between them. The fuselage had a shortened nose and an elongated tail. The horizontal tail and wings had a large elongation. The design of all modifications of the aircraft was identical, only the dimensions of the wings, plumage, fuselage and engine power differed.
The fuselage structure was braced, its tail section was covered with fabric, and the nose section was covered with 3 mm plywood. On the later modifications of the Ilya Muromets, the cabin glazing area was increased, some of the panels could be opened.
All the main parts of the aircraft were made of wood. The wings were assembled from separate parts: the upper wing consisted of seven parts, the lower one - of four. Ailerons were located only on the upper wing.
Four internal racks were brought together and water-cooled engines and radiators were installed between them. The motors were absolutely open, without any fairings. Thus, access to all engines was provided directly in flight, and a plywood track with railings was made on the lower wing. The pilots of that time often had to repair their aircraft right in flight and there were many examples when it saved an airplane from a forced landing or a disaster.
"Ilya Muromets" model 1914 was equipped with two Argus internal engines with a capacity of 140 liters. With. and two external - 125 liters each. With.
Brass fuel tanks were located on the underside of the upper wing.
The vertical plumage consisted of three rudders - a central main and two additional lateral ones. After the appearance of the rear machine-gun point, the central steering wheel was removed, and the side ones were spaced apart.
Chassis "Ilya Muromets" was multi-wheeled. It consisted of two pairs of twin wheels. An anti-bonnet ski was strengthened on each chassis bogie.
Characteristics of "Ilya Muromets"
The Ilya Muromets aircraft is the world's first bomber. The Ilya Muromets aircraft formation was the first, if we say in a modern way, bomber unit in the Russian Imperial Army and in the world during the First World War. During the production of the aircraft, several modifications were released, including the passenger one. The aircraft was the champion in terms of carrying capacity and passenger capacity.
The history of the development of the C-22 bomber "Ilya Muromets"
In 1911, the famous Russian aircraft designer I. I. Sikorsky designed the Russian Knight airplane. The aircraft had at first a twin-engine layout with the placement of motors with pulling propellers on the lower wings of the biplane. Then an experiment was carried out with four, and two were installed with pulling screws, two with pushing ones. The engines were connected in pairs. As a result of the experiments, a four-engine aircraft went into the series. The motors were located on the lower planes of the biplane box. In fact, this airplane was a harbinger of both Ilya Muromets and, in general, all heavy flying machines.
"Vityaz", alas, did not live long. In September 1913, an engine broke off from an airplane flying by and destroyed Vityaz. However, the impetus for the creation of Ilya Muromets took place.
In December of the same year, the first copy of the C-22 Ilya Muromets airplane took off.
The development of the aircraft was carried out in St. Petersburg in the aviation department of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works. The design team also included the future "king of fighters" N. N. Polikarpov.
Using a biplane scheme, taking into account the developments in the production of the Russian Knight, the aircraft turned out to be revolutionary for that time. The span of the upper wing was 32 m. Before that, no one in the world made such airplanes.
At the same time, a passenger model of the aircraft was also built. For the first time, an aircraft had a separate cabin for passengers, which was heated by exhaust gases from the engines. Electric lighting was also installed. The passenger board offered its passengers a toilet and a bath. In the air there was access to the console of the lower wing. The roof of the fuselage was a walking platform.
In the winter of 1913-14 passenger aircraft were tested. "Ilya Muromets" took off and landed successfully with 16 passengers and the dog Shkalik. The total weight of people and dogs is 1290 kg.
As the press of that time wrote: “Our talented pilot-designer I. I. Sikorsky set two new world records on his Ilya Muromets on February 12 - for the number of passengers and for carrying capacity. "Ilya Muromets" flew over the airfield and Pulkovo for 17 minutes and safely descended from a height of 200 m. Passengers - about ten military pilots, pilots and employees of the Russian-Baltic Plant were delighted. Two commissioners of the flying club recorded this flight for departure to the bureau of the International Aeronautical Federation in Paris.
In April 1914, the second ship left the workshops of the plant. The air car was equipped with new engines. The internal power was 140 liters. s., external - 125 l. With. On June 4, 1914, the designer conducted an on-site flight with 5 members State Duma. The aircraft gained an altitude of 2000 m. After that, the aircraft in the variant heavy bomber was adopted.
By order of the maritime department, the first copy was converted into a seaplane.
To demonstrate the capabilities of the aircraft, Sikorsky proposed a test flight on the St. Petersburg-Kyiv route. Refueling was scheduled in Orsha. The team consisted of four people: Captain I. Sikorsky, co-pilot - navigator staff captain Christopher Prussis, co-pilot Lieutenant Georgy Lavrov and mechanic Vladimir Panasyuk. Almost a ton of gasoline, a quarter of a ton of oil and 150 kg of spare parts, materials and tools were loaded on board. In total, including crew members, the airplane took on board a weight of 1610 kg.
The pilot changed every half an hour. The flight went in the direction of Orsha. Around seven in the morning, the world's first in-flight breakfast took place.
The press called the results of the successful flight "impressive". But the First World War was coming.
The first period of the war quickly proved the fallacy of the tactics of disparate use of machines. And the chairman of the board of the Russian-Baltic plant Shidlovsky M.V., where the Muromets were produced, suggested combining them into one part. On December 23, 1914, a squadron of combat airships was formed. December 23rd is set as professional holiday long-range aviation.
The composition of the squadron was defined as 10 combat and 2 training ships. The first sortie of the squadron was recorded on February 15, 1915, when the squadron bombed the German military base. The takeoff was made from an airfield in Poland. The range of the squadron was 500 km.
By the summer of 1916, the squadron consisted of 30 S-22 Ilya Muromets bombers. Also included were escort fighters, reconnaissance aircraft and training aircraft.
With the outbreak of war, there was an increase mass production aircraft. Series "B" became the most massive - 30 pieces were produced. The crew included 4 people. Bomb load - 800 kg.
In 1915, the production of the G series began. Several modifications were released in the series. The G-1 modification had 7 crew members, the G-2 had a shooting cabin to protect the rear hemisphere. In 1916, the G-3 modification went into production, and in 1917, the G-4.
On the aircraft of the G-2 series, an altitude record was again set - 5200 m.
During the First World War, deliveries to the active army amounted to 60 aircraft. The pilots took off more than 400 times for bombing and reconnaissance of enemy positions. 65 tons of bombs were dropped on the enemy. 12 enemy fighters were destroyed in air battles.
The plane proved to be very tenacious. During the hostilities, 2 cars were shot down by anti-aircraft fire, 1 aircraft was shot down by fighters. In April 2016, when the Germans bombed the base airfield, 4 aircraft were lost on the ground. More aircraft were lost for technical reasons - 20 pcs.
After the revolution, the already very outdated aircraft was used for some time as a passenger and postal aircraft, however, by 1922 all aircraft were already worn out. Due to the exhaustion of the resource, the aircraft were removed from flight work.
In 1979, a model of the C-22 "Ilya Muromets" aircraft was created for filming in the film "Wings to the Sky". The aircraft could make runs along the runway and taxiways. The layout is currently in the Air Force Museum.
Design description
The design of "Ilya Muromets" is a four-engine biplane. Wings connected six connecting racks. The motors were located on the lower wing. For access to the engines, a plywood walkway with wire railings was laid along the lower wings, giving access to any engine directly during the flight. During a sortie, the ability to repair an aircraft in flight saved the lives of the aircraft and its pilots more than once.
The length of the fuselage of the car reached 19 meters, the area of the wings - 200 square meters. Aircraft speed - 100-130 km / h.
Chassis wheels were made with rubber cord shock absorption and sheathed in leather. In our time, they would be called wide-profile.
A feature of the aircraft was a closed cockpit. Since the pilot could not see how far it was to the ground, the cockpit was equipped with instruments that were revolutionary for that time. In addition to the usual compass and four total stations, there were two altimeters and two airspeed meters connected to a pitot tube (air pressure receiver) in the cockpit. Also in the cockpit was a slip indicator - a curved glass tube with a ball inside.
The pitch could be determined using the same device with marking angles for pitching and diving.
Bomber capabilities
"Ilya Muromets" rightfully ranked first among the bombers of that time. German bombers could drop bombs or other damaging elements, throwing them out of the cockpit, while Muromets had electric throwers by 1916 and brought down on the enemy up to 800 kg of bombs of various calibers, up to a bomb weighing more than 400 kg. The flight range and carrying capacity of the aircraft also improved the combat qualities of the aircraft.
Tactical and technical characteristics
The characteristics of the aircraft of the G-3 series are given in the table:
Advantages and disadvantages
"Ilya Muromets" was the advanced aircraft in 1914. A huge bomb load for those times, a long range, powerful defensive weapons and resistance to damage in battle - these are the advantages of a bomber.
Unfortunately, the aircraft has many shortcomings. The first and most important is the variety of engines. Started production with German engines stopped with the outbreak of war. Germany did not supply engines. Attempts to supply French and British engines led to a decrease in the bomb load and other flight characteristics of the aircraft. Frequent technical breakdowns accompanied this model. Because of this, many sides were damaged during landing or laid up due to lack of repair. Therefore, by the end of the war, aircraft were used mainly as a huge reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft could not pull a bomb load on low-power engines.
Main armament
At the beginning of the war, plans were made to install a cannon on the aircraft, which could be used against zeppelins. Experiments were carried out, after which the gun was abandoned. However, the plane needed protection. If at first the personal weapons of the crew were enough, then with the progress of enemy fighter aircraft, machine guns began to be placed on aircraft. Because of this, the number of crew members has increased. The specialty of the air shooter appeared.
As for the main armament - bombs, the aircraft could take up to 800 kg of bombs. But the real mass of bomb weapons was lower, the bomber took on board no more than 500 kg of bombs.
The historical value of the aircraft
The aircraft at the beginning of its service, in 1914, was an advanced airship, which had no equal. He set a strong development vector for both the bomber and passenger aircraft industry.
The airplane had many opportunities for further modernization, but the collapse of the Russian Empire prevented its development. Nevertheless, the practice of using long-range bomber aircraft was worked out for the first time.
For the first time, a long-distance flight was made, which gave rise to civil passenger aviation. Therefore, we can say that it was a very good aircraft, which managed to be born at an unfortunate time.
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On January 26, 1914, the first Russian four-engine all-wood biplane Ilya Muromets took off - the first Russian bomber built under the guidance of pilot-aircraft designer I. I. Sikorsky at the Russian-Baltic wagon plant.
Wingspan: upper - 30.87 m, lower - 22.0 m; total wing area - 148 m2; empty aircraft weight - 3800 kg; flight weight - 5100 kg; maximum speed near the ground - 110 km / h; landing speed - 75 km / h; flight duration - 4 hours; flight range - 440 km; climb time - 1000 m - 9 minutes; takeoff run - 450 m; run length - 250 m.
On December 23, 1914, the decision of the military council on the creation of a bomber squadron was approved by Ilya Muromets
Ilya Muromets - the aircraft, named after the Russian epic hero, began to be created in August 1913. The name of Ilya Muromets became a common name for various modifications of this machine, which was built by the Petrograd branch of the plant from 1913 to 1917.
The prototype was ready by December 1913, and on the 10th its first flight took place. On this device, between the wing box and the plumage, there was a middle wing with boars for attaching braces, and an additional middle landing gear was made under the fuselage. The middle wing did not justify itself and was soon removed. After successful tests and a number of achievements of the first built apparatus, the Main Military Technical Directorate (GVTU) signed contract 2685/1515 on May 12, 1914 with RBVZ for the construction of 10 more airplanes of this type.
Test flights of Sikorsky on Ilya Muromets were carried out in adverse winter conditions. During thaws, the ground became wet and viscous. It was decided to equip Ilya Muromets with skis. Only in this way could the aircraft take to the air. Under normal conditions, the takeoff of Ilya Muromets required a distance of 400 steps - 283 meters. Despite the large dead weight, Ilya Muromets was able to lift a 1,100-kilogram load to a height of 1,000 meters on December 11, 1913. The previous record on Sommeret was 653 kg.
In February 1914, Sikorsky lifted Ilya Muromets into the air with 16 passengers on board. The weight of the lifted load on that day was already 1190 kg. During this memorable flight, there was another passenger on board, the favorite of the entire airfield - a dog named Shkalik. This unusual flight with numerous passengers was an unprecedented achievement. The payload during this flight over St. Petersburg was 1300 kg. Following the example of Grand, Ilya Muromets made many flights over the imperial capital and its suburbs. Quite often, Ilya Muromets flew over the city at a low altitude - about 400 meters. Sikorsky was so confident in the safety provided by the aircraft's multiple engines that he was not afraid to fly at such a low altitude. In those days, pilots flying small, single-engine aircraft generally avoided flying over cities, especially at low altitudes, because mid-air engine shutdown and the inevitable forced landing could prove fatal.
During these flights, made by Ilya Muromets, passengers could sit comfortably in a closed cabin and observe the majestic squares and boulevards of St. Petersburg. Each flight of Ilya Muromets brought all transport to a halt, as whole crowds gathered to look at the huge plane with its engines making loud noises.
By the spring of 1914, Sikorsky built a second Ilya of Muromets. It was equipped with more powerful Argus engines, two inboard engines, 140 hp, and two external ones, 125 hp. The total engine power of the second model reached 530 hp, which was 130 hp more than the power of the first Ilya Muromets. Accordingly, more engine power meant greater payload, speed and the ability to reach a height of 2100 meters. During the initial test flight, this second Ilya Muromets carried 820 kg of fuel and 6 passengers.
On June 16-17, 1914, Sikorsky flew from Petersburg to Kyiv with one landing in Orsha. In honor of this event, the series was named Kyiv.
According to its design, the aircraft was a six-pillar biplane with wings of a very large span and elongation (up to 14 at the upper wing). The four internal racks were brought together in pairs, and engines were installed between their pairs, standing completely open, without fairings. All engines were accessed in flight, for which a plywood walkway with wire railings ran along the lower wing. There were many examples when this saved the plane from an emergency landing. On several aircraft, four engines were supplied in two tandems, and in a few cases, training Muromets had only two engines. The design of all Muromets was also almost the same for all types and series. Its description is given here for the first time.
The wings were two-spar. The swing of the upper was, depending on the series and modification, from 24 to 34.5 m, the lower - 21 meters. The spars were placed on average at 12 and 60% of the length of the chords. The thickness of the wings profile ranged from 6% of the chord in narrower wings to 3.5% of the chord in wider ones.
The spars were box-shaped. Their height was 100 mm (sometimes 90 mm), width 50 mm, thickness of plywood walls 5 mm. The thickness of the shelves varied from 20 mm in the center section to 14 mm at the ends of the wings. The material of the shelves was originally imported Oregon pine and spruce, and later - ordinary pine. In the lower wing spars under the engines, the shelves were made of hickory wood. The spars were assembled on wood glue and brass screws. Sometimes a third was added to the two spars - behind the rear, an aileron was attached to it. The bracing crosses were single, located on the same level, made of 3 mm piano wire with turnbuckles.
The ribs of the wings were simple and reinforced - with thickened shelves and walls, and sometimes with double walls made of 5 mm plywood, with very large oblong relief holes, the shelves were made of pine lath 6x20 mm with a groove 2-3 mm deep, which included a rib walls. The assembly of the ribs was carried out on carpentry glue and nails. The pitch of the ribs was 0.3 m everywhere. In general, the design of the wings was light.
The design of the fuselage was braced with fabric covering the tail section and plywood (3 mm) covering the nose section. The frontal part of the cabin was originally curvilinear, glued from veneer, and in later Muromets it was multifaceted with a simultaneous increase in the glazing surface. Part of the glazing panels was opening. The midsection of the fuselage in the latest types of Muromets reached 2.5 m in height and 1.8 m in width.
In the later types of Muromets, the fuselage behind the wing box was split.
The horizontal tail of the Muromets was load-bearing and had a relatively large size - up to 30% of the wing area, which is rare in aircraft construction. The profile of the stabilizer with elevators was similar to that of the wings, but thinner. The stabilizer is two-spar, the spars are box-shaped, the rib pitch is 0.3 m, the rim is pine. The stabilizer was divided into independent halves, attached to the upper fuselage spars, a tetrahedral boar and to the top of the crutch pyramid. Braces - wire, single.
There were usually three rudders: the middle main one and two side ones. With the advent of the rear shooting point, the side rudders were widely spaced along the stabilizer, increased in size and provided with axial compensation, and the middle rudder was abolished.
The ailerons were only on the upper wing and were located on its consoles. Their chord was 1–1.5 m (from the rear spar). The rudder levers were 0.4 m long, and sometimes a special pipe with braces up to 1.5 m long was added to such levers. pairs of wheels on short axles with rubber cord shock absorption. Eight wheels were paired with leather. It turned out dual wheels with a very wide rim.
The fuselage in the parking lot occupied an almost horizontal position. Because of this, the wings were set at a very large angle of 8–9°. The position of the aircraft in flight was almost the same as on the ground. The angle of installation of the horizontal tail was 5–6 °. Therefore, even with the unusual layout of the aircraft with the position of the center of gravity behind the wing box, it had a positive longitudinal V of about 3 ° and the aircraft was stable.
The engines were mounted on low vertical trusses or on beams consisting of ash shelves and braces, sometimes sewn up with plywood.
Gas tanks - brass, cylindrical, with pointed streamlined ends - were usually hung under the upper wing. Their bows sometimes served as oil tanks. Sometimes the gas tanks were flat and placed on the fuselage.
Engine management was separate and common. In addition to the gas control levers for each engine, there was one common autologous lever for simultaneously controlling all engines.
By the beginning of the war (August 1, 1914), four Ilya Muromets had already been built. By September 1914 they were transferred to the Imperial Air Force. By that time, all airplanes of the warring countries were intended only for reconnaissance, and therefore Ilya Muromets should be considered the world's first specialized bomber aircraft.
On December 10 (23), 1914, the emperor approved the decision of the military council on the creation of the Ilya Muromets bomber squadron (Aircraft Squadron, EVC), which became the world's first bomber formation. M. V. Shidlovsky became her boss. The Directorate of the Ilya Muromets Aircraft Squadron was located at the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief at the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. He had to start work almost from scratch - the only pilot capable of flying Murometsy was Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky, the rest were distrustful and even hostile to the very idea of heavy aviation, they should have been retrained, and the machines had to be armed and re-equipped.
For the first time, the squadron's aircraft flew on a combat mission on February 14 (27), 1915. During the entire war, the squadron made 400 sorties, dropped 65 tons of bombs and destroyed 12 enemy fighters, while losing only one aircraft directly in battles with enemy fighters. (September 12 (25), 1916) 09/12/1916 during a raid on the headquarters of the 89th Army in the village of Antonovo and the Boruny station, an aircraft (ship XVI) of Lieutenant D. D. Maksheev was shot down. Two more Muromets were shot down by the fire of anti-aircraft batteries: on 11/2/1915 the plane of captain Ozersky was shot down, the ship crashed, and on 04/13/1916 the plane of Lieutenant Konstenchik came under fire, the ship managed to reach the airfield, but due to the damage received, it was not subject to recovery. In April 1916, seven German airplanes bombed the airfield in Zegewold, as a result of which four Muromets were damaged. But the most common cause of losses were technical problems and various accidents. Because of this, about two dozen cars were lost. Himself IM-B Kyiv made about 30 sorties and was later used as a training one.
During the war, the production of B-series aircraft was launched, the most massive (30 units were produced). They differed from the B series in their smaller size and greater speed. The crew consisted of 4 people, some modifications had two motors. Bombs weighing about 80 kg were used, less often up to 240 kg. In the autumn of 1915, an experiment was made in bombing a 410-kilogram bomb.
In 1915, the production of the G series began with a crew of 7 people, G-1, in 1916 - G-2 with a shooting cabin, G-3, in 1917 - G-4. In 1915-1916, three machines of the D series (DIM) were produced. Aircraft production continued until 1918. G-2 aircraft, on one of which (the third in a row with the name Kyiv) an altitude of 5200 m was reached, were used in the Civil War.
In 1918, not a single sortie of the Muromets was made. Only in August-September 1919 was the Soviet Republic able to use two cars in the Orel region. In 1920, several sorties were made during the Soviet-Polish war and military operations against Wrangel. On November 21, 1920, the last sortie of Ilya Muromets took place.
Ilya Muromets Red Army
On May 1, 1921, the first postal passenger airline Moscow-Kharkov was opened in the RSFSR. The line was serviced by 6 Muromets, heavily worn and with exhausted engines, which is why it was liquidated on October 10, 1922. During this time, 60 passengers and about two tons of cargo were transported.
In 1922, Socrates Monastyrev flew from Moscow to Baku on the plane Ilya Muromets.
One of the mail planes was handed over to the School of Aerial Shooting and Bombing (Serpukhov), where about 80 training flights were made on it during 1922-1923. After that, the Muromets did not rise into the air.